Baseball 3/16/04 -- Augsburg 11-5, Hope (Mich.) 4-9


GAME 1 BOXSCORE
GAME 2 BOXSCORE


FORT MYERS, Fla. (3/16/04) -- Taylor Pagel (Jr., Cannon Falls, Minn.) went 2-for-4 with a home run, double and five RBI in the first game, and went 2-for-4 with a run scored in the second game, leading the Augsburg College baseball team in a split with Hope College (Mich.) at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic on Tuesday at Terry Park. Augsburg is now 2-6 on the season.

Tied at 1-1 after five innings, Augsburg erupted for six runs in the sixth inning and four runs in the seventh to claim the victory in the first game. Augsburg outhit Hope by a 12-5 margin and took advantage of three Hope errors.

Pagel paced the Auggies with a double and his first home run of the season, and Matt Johnson (Fr., Plymouth, Minn./Osseo HS) hit his first collegiate home run for the Auggies, a two-run shot. Andy Nelson (So., Waseca, Minn.) had two doubles for the Auggies, going 2-for-5 with two runs scored.

Jon Kozitza (Jr., North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West HS) and Joe Haehn (So., Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn HS) each went 2-for-4 in the game, scoring a run apiece. Haehn drove in two runs while Kozitza drove in a single run. Darren Ginther (So., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) scored twice and drove in a run.

Eric Weber (Fr., Hastings, Minn.) started and allowed just one hit and an unearned run through three innings of work. Tyler Kraft (Fr., Savage, Minn./Burnsville HS) pitched the next three innings for the Auggies, striking out two. Chris Schroeder (Fr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington HS) finished the game with a strikeout in the seventh.

Bruce Lund took the loss for Hope, striking out two in 5.2 innings of work. Vance Nardin had two hits for the Dutchmen, stealing three bases.

Hope built a 5-0 lead after three innings in the second game before the Auggies attempted a late rally. Andy Dahl (Sr., Cottonwood, Minn./Lakeview HS) lasted just two-thirds of an inning, giving up three runs in his start. Aaron Dahl (Fr., Cottonwood, Minn./Lakeview HS) pitched 3.2 innings of relief, striking out four, with Drew Vabulas (So., Marietta, Ga./The Walker School) striking out two in the final 2.2 innings of work.

Mike Rogers picked up the win for Hope, striking out four and allowing six hits in five innings of work. Dana Glass went 2-for-4 with two runs scord and a stolen base, while Eric MacKenzie drove in two runs on a triple.

Augsburg scored twice in the fourth inning and added three runs in the seventh on a bases-loaded double by Kozitza. Ginther went 2-for-4 with a double, and Pagel and Ricky Schreier (So., Maplewood, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) also went 2-for-4. Augsburg collected 10 hits in the game, but stranded eight runners on base.

After a day off on Wednesday (3/17), the Auggies return to action in the Gene Cusic Classic with a doubleheader against Luther (Iowa) on Thursday (3/18) at 9 a.m.

Augsburg 11, Hope (Mich.) 4
Augsburg -- 000 106 4 -- 11-12-1
Hope -- 100 003 0 -- 4-5-3
WP-Kraft, LP-Lund. 2B -- A.Nelson 2, Pagel, MacKenzie, Hall. HR -- Pagel, M.Johnson.

Hope (Mich.) 9, Augsburg 5
Hope -- 302 011 2 -- 9-7-4
Augsburg -- 000 200 3 -- 5-10-3
WP-Rogers, LP-Andy Dahl. 2B -- Ginther, Kozitza. 3B -- MacKenzie.